In recent years, shared-use vehicle reservation systems have become more commonplace, especially in urban centers. Generally, a shared-use vehicle system consists of a fleet of vehicles shared amongst a group of users wherein no single user exclusively owns a vehicle. A user may reserve a shared-use vehicle online, for example, and later pick up the reserved vehicle from a specified location. Once finished using the vehicle, the user may return the vehicle to the same or another specified location where it is stored until reservation by another user.
There are both environmental and economic advantages associated with shared-use vehicle systems. For example, participating in a shared-use vehicle system may lower an individual user's transportation costs given that vehicle expenses like insurance, maintenance, and car payments are spread across a group of users rather than being absorbed entirely by the individual user. Further, a shared-use vehicle system may reduce a town's need for vehicle parking spaces. Sharing a vehicle increases the vehicle's utilization rate which in turn reduces the number of vehicles required to meet a community's total travel demand and the idle time spent by a vehicle in a parking space. This characteristic of shared-use vehicle systems makes them particularly advantageous for densely populated urban areas where parking spaces are sparse and traffic congestion is great. Still further, shared-use vehicle systems reduce the environmental impact of vehicles on air quality. The higher utilization rate of a shared-use vehicle enables individuals collectively to afford efficient, environmentally-friendly vehicles, such as electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, that otherwise would be cost-prohibitive for an individual.
Although there are numerous social and economic benefits of shared-use vehicle systems, many cities have been slow to adopt them. The concept of spreading risk across a group of people who do not know each other is, of course, commonplace; of course, that concept is the fundamental feature of insurance products. However, the concept of spreading cost across a group of people is commonplace as well, but that is perhaps due to the nature of taxation and the apprehension of public good in such large matters as national security, infrastructure, basic research funding, and the like. When the subject turns to the quality of ownership of most U.S. citizen's most expensive purchase after his or her home, suffice to say many individuals have been reluctant to forgo personal ownership of their personal vehicles.
Vehicles are personal to their respective owners, actually providing a place of refuge in a sense, and are commonly outfitted and stocked in reflection of an owner's specific wants and needs. For these and no doubt other logical reasons as well as many fanciful reasons beyond noting, car owners are commonly resistant to the concept of shared ownership in a fleet of vehicles.
An individual's attachment to his or her personal vehicle may result, at least in part, from customizations that the individual may make to the vehicle. For example, modern vehicles often permit an individual to select a preferred seat position, rear view mirror angle, steering wheel position, foot pedal position, seat heater level, dashboard lighting level, radio station preset, fan speed, air vent direction, vehicle compartment temperature, child-proof lock setting, engine parameter, transmission parameter, etc. Often these vehicle feature settings remain fixed until adjusted by a subsequent user of the vehicle. As a result, when an individual returns to his or her vehicle that is used only by that individual, irrespective of the amount of elapsed time of non-use, the vehicle feature settings will be the same as when the individual left the vehicle. Beyond the fact that the vehicle contains the individual's personal effects, the individual commonly feels “at home” upon re-entering the vehicle.
In addition to contributing to an individual's identification with his or her vehicle, the preferred vehicle feature settings have practical benefits as well. Certain positioning of the driver seat, steering wheel, foot pedals, and rear view mirrors may be necessary for an individual to safely operate the vehicle. An individual could be at risk if, for example, he or she forgets to adjust the rear view mirror angle in order to view rearward traffic. Moreover, if the driver seat is positioned too close to the steering wheel, a driver may have difficulty getting into the vehicle.
A need exists, therefore, for a shared-use vehicle that simulates the experience of personal ownership of the vehicle. Furthermore, a need exists for a shared-use vehicle that automatically adjusts its vehicle features to match the preferred settings of a user who reserves the vehicle.